She's A Fighter
by My Muse's Name Is Eden
Summary: Something terrible happens on a 'family' road trip and RIver gets the worst end of the stick. But Rory knows that she'll make it. His daughter is a fighter. Rating has gone up due to chapter 5.
1. Chapter 1

The car hit a patch of ice and spun out of control. The sleet was making it hard to see already. Rory looked to his side where his wife was clutching the door, her knuckles bone white and eyes terror filled. He peered into his mirror where his daughter was sleeping peacefully on her husbands shoulder. Fighting harder to stay on the road only made it worse. Rory veered sharply to the left as they hit another patch of ice and the car flew into the lake beside them.

Ice cold water filled the car quickly. River's eyes were darting around, fully alert after waking up bleary eyed seconds before. "Come on, stupid door," the Doctor said through gritted teeth as he tried to sonic the door open.

"Amy. Hammer. Glove box," Rory said quickly undoing his and her seat belts. "River, Doctor undo your seat belts. I am going to get you out of this, I swear," he finished looking his daughter straight in the eye as Amy handed him an odd looking hammer.

Rory pulled back his arm and with all the force he could muster and smashed the window. "Out, out out," Rory cried as the frigid water covered his neck.

With the pressure released they could open their car doors and swim out. Rory swam out the window as Amy and the Doctor forced their doors open as well. River struggled with her door and by the time she got it open the entire car was submerged. She fought her way out and the door swung shut on her pant leg. Running low on oxygen and the sleet that was falling down even harder disorienting her she fought to get her leg free. Rory looked around at the surface and noted that it was sort one person. He dove under water.

The car was sinking further and further and by this point River had lost consciousness. Rory yanked the door open and gathered his daughter in his arms as he kicked his way to the surface. Swimming as fast as he could he pulled River up to the shoreline and began preforming CPR. "Amy! Go get help," he shouted at her, not even stoping to see if she was okay, something he had never done before. "Come, on River, you can do this sweetheart, you're a fighter. Come on."

Moments later an ambulance pulled up and River was taken from him. "Please let me come in the ambulance! She's my-," Rory started.

"His aunt," the Doctor interjected. "She's the only family he's got left."

The EMT nodded, "This way sir."


	2. Chapter 2

After sitting in the hospital for a while a doctor came out. "You're aunt is going to be fine. She's a bit oxygen deprived so there may be a bit of amnesia, but the memory loss is not permanent. We want to keep her over night to monitor her recovery and she should be free to leave in the morning."

Rory nodded solemnly and asked, "Can I see her?"

"You can, but she isn't concious yet, she should be waking up soon."

Rory walked to her room as quickly as he could without looking suspicious and was pleased to see her slowly waking up. He went over to er bed and stood next to her while she regained conciousness.

River saw a blurry figure standing over her, "Please Madame Kovarian! Don't make me go to a session with the Silence, I'll do better next time I promise I will! Please don't make me go with them! It hurts so bad when I'm with them." She tried to keep talking after that but she began sobbing.

"Shhh, River, it's alright, you haven't been with Madame Kovarian in years sweetheart, you're suffering from some amnesia because of a car accident we were in," Rory said gently, desperately trying to sooth his daughter.

He gently wiped tears off of her face with the pad of his thumb, "See, Madame Kovarian isn't here, you're alright."

She blinked a few times, "D-Daddy?"

Tears welled up in Rory's eyes, "Yes angel?"

"Who's River?"

"No one, she doesn't matter at all right now. I'm just glad you're okay...Melody."

Smiling up at her father her eyes began to droop a bit. "You tired," Rory asked her as he pushed some hair out of her face.

River shook her vehemently shook her head, curls flying. "You can go to sleep Melody, I'll still be here when you wake up. I promise," he told her reassuringly."

She looked skeptical but was to tired to fight it. Taking one last look at Rory to reassure herself that he was still there she rolled onto her stomcah and fell asleep almost immedietly.

**What do you guys think? Is good, no? Anyways, I want to thank all of my reviewers and subscribers and all of those who have read my story, there is going to be one more chapter to tie up some loose ends and then I will need more ideas for more stories! I will do any Doctor Who pairings for Doctors 9-11 except, Doctor/Jackie, because that is all kinds of weird and (just a note, I HAVE found stories like this on ) River/Amy fics because that's just wrong.**


	3. Chapter 3

_*Flashback*_

"_Please Rory! I've never ever been on a road trip before and this rarely ever happens! A lunar eclipse occuring on the winter solstice! And, my calculations say that from the highest hill in this tiny little lakeside town will have the best view! PLEASE," the Doctor begged for the millionth time that morning. _

_Rory shifted his weight in the chair he was sitting in and took a sip of his coffee, "No, Doctor."_

_The Doctor pouted and placed his chin on the dining room table in the Pond's home in Leadworth, "But why not Rory?"_

"_Quite a few reasons actually, one, you've got a box that can take you anywhere in all of time and space."_

"_Wouldn't be the same as a car trip," The Doctor mumbled._

_Rory rolled his eyes and took another sip of his coffee._

"_Two, I don't want to drive the whole way. Amy is a rubbish driver, River takes after her mum and I don't trust you to drive a car with my daughter and wife in it. Three, the roads are going to be incredibly bad, visibility is going to be horrid, and I don't want to get in an accident. The answer is no Doctor."_

_Amy thundered down the stairs and padded into the kitchen. Rory stood up and hugged her, kissing her forehead gently, "Morning love."_

"_Morning stupid face."_

_The Doctor was making gagging noises from behind them and Amy glared him, "Oi! You wach it Raggedy Man, I can, and I will kick you out of this house."_

"_Good morning to you too Pond."_

_Rory handed his wife a cup of tea and ushered her over to the table where she sat beside the Doctor._

"_I slept on the TARDIS last night," The Doctor stated suddenly._

"_I thought you were sleeping with River in her bedroom," Amy said, speaking of the 'guest room' that actually belonged to her daughter._

"_Well, I was going to but she was sleeping like a starfish and I didn't want to disturb her. She's on her way downstairs now. Her footsteps have a very distinct nearly silent shffle. Not detectable by human ears."_

_River walked into the kitchen slowly, her hair like a lion's mane around her head, eyes half closed, and huge bags under her eyes and she nearly walked into the doorframe. She sat down heavily beside her father and stole his cup of coffee from him._

"_Are you alright sweetheart," Rory asked, getting no reaction from his daughter. "River? RIver? Hello? River? Mels? Mels? Melody?" He said Melody a bit loud and River nearly jumped out of her skin. "Are you okay baby? You look comepletly knackered."_

"_I-I didn't sleep well last night Dad, I-, I'm fine," she added a smile that looked real enough, but Rory saw through her facade in an instant._

_He looked at her, communicating with his eyes and she nodded as tears welled in her eyes, hidden from the Doctor by her crazy curls._

"_Come here Mels," he held his arms open and and she laid her head on his chest, drawing comfort from the sound of his heartbeat. They stayed like that for a bit and Rory kissed her forehead before her released her. "Scrambled eggs?"_

_River nodded, "I'd love some Dad, thanks."_

_The Doctor looked at them oddly, "What have you three not been telling me?"_

"_Nothing important my love, honest."_

_River hadn't wanted anyone to know about her nightmares, especially not the Doctor. But her plans of keeping them secret were foiled when she spent the night at her parents and woke up screaming. She made her parents swear they would never tell the Doctor, RIver hated it when he worried about her. He nodded, but seemed unconvinced._

"_Rory, I still don't understand why you keep saying no," The Doctor said as the Roman handed his daughter breakfast._

"_Doctor, my answer is final, no."_

_The girls looked at them and it was Amy who spoke first, "Final answer to what Rory?"_

"_The Doctor wants me to drive the lot of us to some tiny little town so he can see the lunar eclipse that falls on the winter solstice. He wants to go on a bloody roadtrip, instead of taking the TARDIS."_

"_I think I roadtrip would be fun," River said and Amy nodded in agreement._

"_SEE! They agree with me Rory, you're outnumbered, three to one."_

"_No. Still no."_

"_But you're outnumbered Rry, you have to do it, those are the rules."_

_Rory took back his coffee and sipped it, "My car keys, my rules. Sorry Doctor."_

"_Pleeease Rory!"_

"_NO!"_

"_Oh come on you stupid face, it'll be fun," Amy told him._

"_The answer is still no."_

_Amy and the Doctor continued begging and Rory continued to refuse._

_River turned to him, her eyes adorably huge and liquidous, pulling a desperate ploy, "Please Daddy, please."_

_Rory rubbed his face with his hands and sighed, "Fine. I'll do it."_

_The Doctor stood up and cheered, Amy was jealous that her daughter could manipulate her husband like that and River was hugging her father tightly._

_*Flahsback*_

"I never should have let you talk me into this Mels," Rory muttered as he stood vigil beside his daughters bedside.

A hand settled on his shoulder and Amy was ehind him, "This isn't your fault Rory, this isn't anybody's fault. It was an accident, and besides, the doctors have already confirmed that she's going to be fine."

"I know, but, I just can't protect her from anything. What happened in her past, her nightmares, she's too much like you Amy and I hate it!"

Amy took a step backwards and had a hurt look on her face.

"No, Amy, love, I, I didn't mean it like that."

"Then how _did_ you mean it then Rory."

"She's stubborn and indepentant. She's gorgeous and smart. And she doesn't want to let anyone help her, or coddle her or protect her. If I had it my way, neither of you would leave the house without a bullet-proof vest on."

She smiled and stepped closer, placing a gentle hand on their sleeping daughter's ankle. "I remember when we finally got her to open up to us about her childhood, or, what she remembers anyway."

"Yeah, so do I," he whispered, and then the memories overwhlemed him...


	4. Chapter 4

_*Flashback*_

_It was a ritual, that at least twice a month, not counting major holidays and birthdays, River went to go see her parents in their cozy home in Leadworth._

_Tonight, she was making an exception and sleeping there, something she didn't normally do for fear of them finding out about her nightmares. But, Rory had begged her and she was exhausted._

_River had gone to bed about an hour after her parents and had falling asleep before she had even changed into her pajamas. At three o'clock though, her not quite so peaceful slumber when she woke up suddenly, clamping a hand over her mouth._

"_Shit! Shit, I can't believe this," she swore under her breath once she realized she'd been screaming, _again. _Surely her parents had heard. Acting quickly, she grabbed her cellphone and vortex manipulator off of her dresser and walked out of her room, only to meet a worried Rory standing in front of her door._

"_Sweetheart, are you all right? I, we, heard screaming."_

"_I, I, ummm, I've gotta go, urgent, umm, archeology stuff, you know, my job," she said quickly with a bit of anger._

"_River, what happened, why were you screaming? I want an honest explanation," Rory said, crossing his arms and blocking her way to the staircase._

"_I wasn't screaming. You, were hearing things," River spat harshly, wanting to turn around and just jump out of her window._

"_River. Stop lying and tell me what the bloody hell is going on."_

_River's temper boiled over and she glared at him, "Fuck off Rory," she said harshly before shoving him out of the way and gliding down the stairs._

"_Melody Rose Elizabeth Williams, stop, now."_

_River froze; she knew she was in deep when Rory called her Melody, even worse when he used her middle names, and out of the frying pan and into the fire if he said Williams instead of Pond. She turned, slowly, staring just above her father's eyes and at his forehead._

"_Eye contact Mels, not my forehead. Your mother does that as well, it won't work on me," he looked down at her hands and back to her eyes in a few seconds. "Vortex manipulator, hand it over."_

_River's eyes must have grown three times their normal size because of what he said next. "You heard me, you're not leaving Earth until you tell me what's going on. Understood?"_

"_Y-Yes sir," she said, her mind flashing back to her childhood, her attitude slipping to submissive as she handed over her vortex manipulator._

"_Okay then. Sit on the couch and I'll go put the kettle on," Rory said, his voice gentle now that he wasn't nearly as angry and could see he had been frightening his daughter._

_Not long after, the duo were sitting on the couch, River had her legs under the rest of her body and was picking absentmindedly at her fingernails._

"_River, sweetheart, look at me please," Rory pleaded gently. Her eyes darted up, and she saw her father's eyes were gentle, and filled with love and concern._

"_K-Kovarian, she was, she was horrid. An-And the worst part is, she never even laid a finger on me. She, she focused on emotional torture, and let the other's handle the rest. The, umm, the Silence an-," she swallowed a lump in her throat and blinked back tears. "And Captain Williams." She paused, waiting before she continued, trying not to cry, trying to keep her walls up._

"_It started when I was about three…"_


	5. Chapter 5

**WARNING: Mentions physical abuse and rape.**

River swallowed heavily, not quite sure how to begin. Taking a deep breath she turned away from him and began to roll up the back of her shirt, revealing hundreds of burns and scars, criss-crossed all over her back.

Rory gasped and gently ran his fingers over her back, the way only a father could, "What happened cub? Tell me everything."

"I started at the Luna, when _they_ took me again."

He nodded knowingly, "I'm assuming this is before they put you in the lake."

River closed her eyes tightly and began her story.

_She came to slowly, standing upright with her hands cuffed together above her head, the room filled with bright white light. Jerking experimentally, RIver discovered she couldn't free herself, no matter how hard she tried._

"_Oh goody, she's awake, good morning Melody, good morning darling," Madame Kovarian cooed._

"_Who are you? How do you know who I am," she demanded, her eyes darting about quickly, like a caged animal._

"_Don't you remember? It's me, Madame Kovarian."_

_The name echoed in River's mind, unlocking memories she'd long since forgotten, "Let me go, you won't be able to make me kill him, not this time! I love him!"_

"_What a shame, I half hoped you'd comply, it's much more fun this way though. Oh, and don't try and forget again Melody Pond, there's a chip in your head now, you can't _ever_ forget."_

_Before River knew it she hit the ground but she quickly stood up, eyes wide as a wild cats. The right hook came out of nowhere, knocking her to the ground once more. River wiped blood from her chin and automatically reached for her gun holster, her empty gun holster. A steel-toed boot kicked her in the ribs and she swore she could hear them crack. Madame Kovarian stepped forward, "Enough, give her to the rats."_

_Someone lifted her up gruffly by the neck and shoved her into a dark room full of rats, mangy, diseased, starving rats. They left River locked in that room for ten hours._

_Over the next three weeks she was punched, starved, cut, whipped drowned and deprived of her senses, sight, sound, smell, taste, but no matter what they tried, they couldn't break her. Not completely, they saw her become weaker, but everyday she stood and took it, tried to fight back. "I've got an idea, Captain, drug her," Madame Kovarian demanded._

_When River awoke she was lying comfortably in 'starfish' position in a soft bed, she smiled, she knew the whole thing was a dream, she'd get out of bed and her husband would be waiting for her. As she turned to move, she felt her wrist being tugged, and her ankles. RIver lifted her head to see the she was bound to a four poster bed. She whimpered when she saw Madame Kovarian standing over the bed, "Come on in boys! She's awake!"_

_Fifteen big burly men waltzed into the room, studying River's naked body, "Well, looky here boys! Kovarian got us a real pretty 'un this time!"_

_All of them laughed and Kovarian grimaced, "She's all yours Boris."_

_The man who spoke, Boris, nodded and unbuttoned his jeans. River glanced at Madame Kovarian with wide eyes, "No, NO! Please, please, no, no, no! Please!"_

_The other woman smiled, "You brought this upon yourself Melody, it's a shame you wouldn't do as you were told."_

River sobbed into her father's chest, clinging to him for dear life. Rory gathered her even closer, pulling her into his lap as he stroked her hair softly, "Hush now, baby girl, hush my Melody. Daddy's got you now, Daddy will keep you safe, hush now cub, Daddy has you."

She began to breath easier, but still she trembled like a leaf as she stifled a yawn, it was nearly four in the morning. "Come on, you have to get some sleep, baby girl," he cooed softly.

River shook her exhausted head weakly, "Uh-uh."

"Come on, cub, you can sleep with me tonight."

She sniffed and looked at Rory curiously, "What about Mummy?"

"We have a king sized bed Mels, we can all fit," Amy said from the stairs.

River nodded and stood, warily, before slowly trudging up the stairs. After she passed, Amy gave Rory a heartbroken look before she ran into his arms, "Our poor baby!"

"Shhhh, Ames I know, but our poor baby needs us right now, okay?"

Amy nodded and pulled herself together before following her daughter and her husband up the stairs.

_*Flashback*_

Amy cried as she watched her daughter lie in the hospital bed, sound asleep. River rolled over and groaned, burying her head in her pillow. She adjusted herself a few more times until she finally gave up on the idea of sleep, sitting upright and scrubbing at her eyes.

"Morning, cub," Rory said with a smile.

"Morn-ing Dad, Morning Mum," she said with a yawn. "Where's the Doctor?"

Amy answered this time, "He's trying to find a car to get us back home with so we can leave when you're released from the hospital."

"When is that," River asked curiously. "I'm tired of pretending to sleep so the nurses won't try and talk to me."

Rory shook his head and grinned, Amy had done the same thing when she was nine and she had been in a car accident, "In a couple of hours, RIver."

She nodded, "Hey Dad?"

"Hey what?"

"I love you."

**Well there you have it folks! Sorry I was so mean to poor poor RIver, but this is the end of the line! **


End file.
